USC Center for Autonomy and AI

Fall 2025 Workshop on Is the Future of Autonomy in Foundation Models?

October 09, 2025

MCB 101, UPC Campus

We invite you to join us at our USC Center for Autonomy and AI Fall Workshop for a day of learning, sharing, and tackling some of the most vexing challenges facing the development of intelligent autonomy. The Workshop on the campus of USC will bring together expert faculty from USC Viterbi School of Engineering and industry researchers such as you to explore current topics in research on "Is the Future of Autonomy in Foundation Models?"

The Fall 2025 Workshop will include lightning talks, panels, and breakout sessions. Participants will cross-pollinate with researchers from other industries as well as take deeper dives with colleagues from their own industries. Our 2024 Workshop featured presenters from 10 companies.

Come learn new approaches to solving current challenges in intelligent autonomy research, share your own challenges, and make new connections with fellow researchers in the field. Our Workshop day will run from 8:30 am to 4:00 pm, lunch is included as is our cocktail reception.

Agenda

8:30 AM  Registration & Welcome Coffee

9:00 AM  Opening Remarks and Center Overview 

Rahul Jain, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and Industrial and Systems Engineering; Director, Center for Autonomy and AI

9:05 AM  Keynote Address

Ahmed Sadek, Head of Physical AI Systems, VP Engineering, Qualcomm

10:00 AM Morning Networking Break

10:20 AM Faculty and Industry Talks – Session 1

Speakers:

Prof. Yan Liu - Philip and Cayley MacDonald Endowed Early Career Chair and Professor of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Biomedical Sciences

Prof. Assad Oberai - Hughes Professor and Professor of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

Elizabeth Davison - Principal Director, Office of the CTO (Enterprise Lab), The Aerospace Corporation

Prof. Mahdi Soltanolkotabi - Andrew and Erna Viterbi Early Career Chair and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, and Industrial and Systems Engineering

Mauricio Castillo-Effen – LM Fellow for Assurance, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Labs

Prof. Bistra Dilkina - Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Early Career Chair in Computer Science and Associate Professor of Computer Science

11:30 AM AAI Industry Affiliates Program Overview

Maurena Nacheff-Benedict - Assistant Dean, Corporate and Foundation Relations

11:45 PM  Lunch

12:30 PM Poster Session

1:30 PM Faculty and Industry Talks – Session 2

Speakers:

Eren Aydemir - Perception Technologies Development Lead, Ford Otosan

Yunshuang Li - Ph.D. student, co-advised by Profs. Daniel Seita and Gaurav Sukhatme

Prof. Jesse Thomason - Assistant Professor of Computer Science

Sean O’Brien - Manager Programs, Advanced Autonomy, Northrop Grumman

Prof. Erdem Biyik - Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering

Prof. Yue Wang - Assistant Professor of Computer Science

2:30 PM Faculty and Industry Talks – Session 3

Speakers:

Jeffrey Hunt - Senior Technical Fellow, The Boeing Company

Prof. Ketan Savla - John and Dorothy Shea Early Career in Civil Engineering and Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Electrical and Computer Engineering

Jon DeCastro - Research Scientist, Toyota Research Institute

3:00 PM Coffee Break

3:15 PM Panel Discussion: Can foundational models be used for safety-critical autonomous systems?

Moderator:

Erdem Biyik, Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering

Panelists:

Ahmed Sadek - Head of Physical AI Systems, VP Engineering, Qualcomm

Alberto Speranzon - Chief Scientist for Autonomy, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Labs

Sean O’Brien - Manager Programs, Advanced Autonomy, Northrop Grumman

4:00 PM Reception and Posters

University of Southern California

Viterbi School of Engineering, Los Angeles, CA 90089

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